


The least I could do

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 11:09:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20759375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: When the threat of her losing the trial becomes real, he decides to take matters into his own hands





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello! This is a fic that combines chapter 14 of OH with something that would take place in chapters 15 and 16. It was supposed to be a short one but, as always, I mean, why am I even surprised, it’s so long that I had to chop it in half :D  
Enjoy! <3

He wasn’t sure if leaving the hospital was the smartest idea, but it was the right thing to do.

He wasn’t sure if leaving town was the smartest idea, but it was the right thing to do.

He wasn’t sure if leaving her behind was the smartest idea, but…

_No. it wasn’t the right thing to do._

He left without a word. Harper knew that he left, because she called him to make sure he was completely certain he wanted to resign. And he did tell her that he needed to get out of town. He didn’t tell her why, because he didn’t feel like she needed to know that.

At first, he was supposed to go with Naveen. But then, he found that piece of information about a treatment, and he just couldn’t let it slide. So, he packed his bags, and left, not thinking about telling anyone else about it.

And that was a mistake.

He realized way too late that he should have talked to her before leaving. He realized it when it was almost too late.

The news about the subway accident reached him two days after it happened. And he froze. Unable to move, unable to think, unable to do anything.

Because all he could think about was her.

Was she okay? Did she ride that train when it happened? Did somebody help her?

He was combing through the information stations and websites, trying to find anything, that would confirm or deny that she was a victim.

He found _nothing._

Only a week later, after he had time to die a couple of times out of stress and panic, did her find out that, no, she wasn’t a victim. She was one of the doctors who helped people, as she was on duty.

He felt his heart swell with pride. That was exactly what he was telling her about. He knew she could do it. And she didn’t need anyone else to prove it.

Coming back to Boston, almost emptyhanded, except for a small clue as to what might be happening with Naveen, he felt defeated. And tired. And in need of her presence.

One evening he took a call from Harper regarding the diagnostic team. He had to appoint someone for his position. And it just slipped into the conversation.

“I’m going to have to end the call here, Ethan. I still need to call on the ethics hearing.”

“Ethics hearing? For who?”

“For Herondale. The Martinez family is suing her for giving the drug to Teresa, and she confessed two days ago. Said she needs to pick her own battles. She really believes she can convince the whole board to not take away her license, but I have a hard time believing she’ll succeed. Not with Declan Nash having them all in his pocket…”

“Why didn’t I know about that? Any of that?”

“Why _would_ you know about that? You quit, granted, a few days after the lawsuit came, but still. At least we know who told the family about her doing it.”

“_Someone told the family?_” he gritted his teeth, anger rising in his chest.

“Yes. It was that intern, Olsen. Said it was his ‘duty as a doctor’. I also heard some other interns talking about him sabotaging Herondale, though I didn’t have time to look into it yet. Which reminds me, that I probably should. Anyway, I have to go. Have a good night, Ethan.” She ended the call, leaving him alone in the quiet apartment, a storm of emotions in his head.

Why didn’t she tell him? Why did he have to find out from Harper about it?

Then there was the Declan issue. He knew he despised him. In turn, that meant he despised Claire as well. And that was exactly the situation he wanted to avoid. He knew that his feelings for her would one day come and bite him, but he wasn’t sure just how soon that might be.

If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have to worry about Declan not agreeing to save her. Because he wouldn’t have any reasons not to help her. But because he was too proud to say sorry or to let them even the playing field, she might lose her chance to prove everyone how brilliant she is.

And then that the whole situation with Olsen. It really made him snap. He didn’t know what happened exactly, he would find that out from Claire the next time he sees her, but the mere thought of that scumbag messing with her made his blood boil. He had to take care of that too.

There was still time. He still had some time to make things right. For her.

The next morning he went to the hospital, a lot earlier than usual. He was on a mission. Find Declan. Admit his mistake. Apologize. Ask for his help for Claire.

Do whatever it takes to help her.

Finding him wasn’t hard. He was hanging by Harper’s office, a smug smile on his face when he saw him.

“Ah, Ramsey, came here so I can gloat over you?”

“No. I’m actually here to talk to you. And to apologize.”

Nash was stunned. He never thought that he was even capable of saying those words.

“A-apologize?”

“Yes. And ask a favor.”

“Ah, so there is a catch.”

“It’s not a catch. You know why she did that. You know her motives were true and you know she didn’t mean harm.” Ethan was trying to find the last sliver of humanity in the man in front of him, and hang onto it tightly.

“I know all that, Ramsey. So, what exactly is it that you want me to do?”

“I want you to convince the board members to pardon her. What she did might have been stupid, but it was kind and in good will.”

“And, care to tell me why would I do anything for you?”

“Don’t do it for me. Do it for her.”

“It’s the same thing, Ramsey. You, her, there is no difference. So let me ask you again. Why would I help you? You humiliated me, publicly. I owe you nothing, unlike you.” Nash folded his arms, leaning against the wall, looking at him curiously.

“I am willing to let you level the playing field.” He wasn’t all that excited at the idea of doing that, but there was no other way. And he knew that damn well.

“And how would that go down?”

“I am willing to agree to anything.”

“You _are_ desperate. She really is important to you.” Amusement shone in Declan’s eyes. He never though that Ramsey, of all people, the closed off doctor, who never cared about his personal life, who was always alone, kept everyone at arm’s length, would come to the point in his life where a woman would affect his life so greatly.

“That’s not important. I need you to help her. I’ll do anything.”

“I know what you’ll need to do.”

Declan took a step towards him, his face unreadable. Then, without a warning, his fist came into contact with Ethan’s face. The blow threw him off balance, he had to take a step back and lean onto the wall.

“Yeah, I probably deserved that. Again, I’m sorry. I let my pride take over my head. I regret it.”

“Never thought I’d hear you say that. But, that’s not all that I want you to do. And this one, you can treat as an olive branch of sorts. And I think you’ll be grateful that I made you do it.”

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t keep me in the dark and just said it already.”

“I want you to go to her and tell her how you feel.”

“What?” if it wasn’t for the fact that he was already against the wall, he would have fallen down.

“You heard me.”

“Why? What do you gain from this?” from where Ethan was standing, it all felt like a sick joke he was playing on him. But he was deadly serious.

“Absolutely nothing. But you on the other hand… a lot.”

Declan came up to him and patted him on the back.

“Don’t think about it too much. Don’t waste the chance you have.” A wistful smile appeared on his face, before he left him, probably to find the members of the board.

Ethan didn’t know what to think. It went way better than he expected. He could feel some blood dripping down his temple and cheek, but his job wasn’t done yet.

He still had to find that scumbag.

And that wasn’t difficult either. He was by the nurses station, his nose in the files. When he stood in front of him, he looked up, his face morphing into a state of shock and admiration.

“Dr. Ramsey! You’re back!”

“Yes. Would you mind walking with me? I have some questions, Dr….” he asked, knowing how that would affect him.

“Olsen! Dr. Olsen.” His voice revealed just how desperate for his attention he was.

Ethan lead him towards the hall, stopping before turning around to face the intern.

“What do you need, sir?”

“Let me get straight to the point, because I don’t like my time being wasted. What can you tell me about Dr. Herondale?” Ethan’s voice was harsh, his tone strict. He meant business, he didn’t have time to play stupid games.

“She killed Mrs. Martinez. I warned her, but she went with it anyway.”

“So you knew about it?”

“Yes, she wanted me to help her.” It was really amusing to see a normally quiet and shy buy throw his friend under the bus, without so much as batting his eye.

“And you didn’t because…?”

“Because it’s wrong! And now she’s being charged, and rightfully so! She deserves it, unlike her ranking.” He shouted, his expression panicked, looking for some sort of approval from him. But he didn’t get any.

“I’m sorry, _intern_, but do you mean to tell me that I didn’t do my job right?”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant at all! It’s just that…”

Landry seemed to be crumbling under pressure. The idea of Ethan being angry with him terrified him, brought tears to his eyes.

“It’s just that you are a coward. That’s what you are. You didn’t think about getting to the top spot on your own, so you decided to cheat. And sabotage. But guess what, you didn’t just affect her. You endangered the lives of our patients. Nothing you can say will justify what you did.”

“But she… It’s not fair! The only reason she got so far in the competition was because she was always with you! Why her? What made her so special, that you didn’t even _look_ at anyone else?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you. and I would be careful with words if I were you, you’re walking on very thin ice.”

Ethan’s hands curled into fists; his knuckles became white from the force. Olsen was crossing every line possible and he didn’t know how much more he would need to be pushed to break. What he did know was that he wouldn’t want to be him in that moment; he knew himself well enough to know that his anger was destructive in every way imaginable.

“She got preferential treatment! She murdered the woman! She…”

“_None_ of those reasons give you the right to act the way you did. All you are is a coward. That’s all. This conversation is over.”

“W-wait, I-“

A loud crack was the next thing that could be heard. It was like in slow motion. His fist connected with Olsen’s face, much like Declan’s with his own only minutes earlier.

“You, Dr. Olsen, are the last person to speak about what is right and what is wrong; what is ethical and what is not; what is fair and what is not. So please, for the life of me, stop talking-“

“Ethan!” her voice called out from behind him, and his head snapped back, taking in her form. By his feet, Landry was laying, clutching his nose, scrambling to stand up and run.

When he was gone, Claire approached him, an angry look on her face, but there also was something else.

_Disappointment. And pain._

“_What was that?_ You’re coming with me.” She turned around, not bothering to look back to see if he was following her.


	2. II

She led him to one of the empty rooms and immediately went to the cabinet, grabbing cotton balls and antiseptics.

“Sit.” She said, still not looking at him, and his mind wandered all the way back to that night in Miami, when she said the very same thing, seating herself safely in his lap.

He obediently sat down on the edge of the bed, waiting for her. She came up to him and took his head in her hands, turning it to the side gently. Then, she began cleaning his wound on his cheekbone and he sucked the air in through his teeth at the stinging sensation.

She was silent. He could feel how tired and furious she was. He knew she could shout, she could fight and argue, but seeing her so quiet scared him.

Once his face was patched up, she moved to his hand. He had a few cuts there, some bruises already forming. Her one hand was holding his, while the other was tending his wounds.

One cut was particularly deep, and when she proceeded to clean it, he cursed under his breath, doing everything he could not to let out a loud sound in pain.

Her fingers smoothed over the skin of his palm, stroking soothingly, bringing some comfort.

“You’re an idiot.” She mused, focusing on his hand.

“I know.”

“No, you don’t. Why did you hit him? Don’t we have enough problems? And how the hell did you get those cuts on your face? I don’t believe Landry could hit you, so don’t even think about lying.”

“It was Declan.”

“He _hit you?”_ she was shocked, and a little angry.

“I kind of asked for it. Literally.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I apologized to him. And asked for his help with the board members. I told him that I’ll do anything, if that means he’d help you. That was the price.” He laced their fingers together, seeking and giving comfort.

“Something tells me there is more.” Her eyes finally made a connection with his, both so intense that it was equally impossible to look and to look away. They were locked, unable to do anything.

“There is. But we can discuss that later, right now, we need to focus on the hearing.”

“No. Tell me. I want to know.”

Ethan hesitated. He really wanted to have some time to think about it. He wanted to plan how he was going to do it. Now, standing in front of her, with nowhere to hide and nowhere to go, he had to let go and jump, hoping that somewhere below him was a safe place to land. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for impact.

“He told me to come clean about my feelings.”

“Your feelings…?”

“My feelings. For you.”

He was gauging her reaction, looking for response, _anything_, that would tell him how badly he destroyed their relationship.

“Ethan…”

“I’m sorry that I left you. I’m sorry that I didn’t talk to you. I’m sorry that I left and didn’t tell you about that. I’m sorry for leaving you alone with all of this. I’m sorry that you didn’t feel comfortable and safe enough with me to come to me and tell me about what was going on. I’m sorry for putting you in this situation. I’m sorry th- “

His outburst was interrupted by her hand, placed over his mouth softly, silencing him.

“Calm down. And stop, for a second. Yes, I wish you’d let me talk to you. I wish you hadn’t left me. I wish you would let me in. But it’s not your fault that I am in that situation. It’s mine. I made the decision. And I didn’t come to you, not because I didn’t trust you or didn’t feel comfortable with you, or safe, but because I didn’t want to seem like a helpless damsel in distress, that runs to the man when her life gets difficult. I wanted, _needed_, to handle this on my own.”

He kissed her palm tenderly, their eyes still locked, neither wanting to turn away.

“And why on Earth would you go and accept being punched? For me? I’m not worth it, Ethan.”

“Here’s the problem, Claire. You _are_. If only you could see yourself the way I see you. Then you would understand. That all I see is a strong and intelligent woman. A woman that fights for what she believes in. A woman that doesn’t back down from a challenge. A woman that is compassionate. Selfless. A woman that cares about people. A woman that took a chance on an old, grumpy man, barged into his life and turned it upside down, broke down his walls, so effortlessly, leaving him stunned. Astonished. And utterly infatuated.”

His words were flowing with ease, filled with emotions. She couldn’t breathe. It was the first time that he let her in. let her see him, really see him, for what he was. And he was beautiful.

Claire wrapped her arms around him tightly, hiding her face in the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath.

“You have no idea how happy and relieved I am to hear you say that. I thought it was just me.”

His nose nuzzled into her hair, his one arm around her tightly, while his other hand was gently running through her hair. She leaned back, cupping his cheek softly before kissing his other cheek with tenderness; that simple act affection was emotionally charged, leaving them both dazed but wanting more.

“I wish we had time to do more than that. There is so much I want to say. But, unfortunately, I have to go. And hope for the best.”

Looking down on his hand, she laughed wistfully.

“Put some ice on it. Trust me, I’m a doctor.”

A grim expression showed itself on her face as she looked up at him again.

He held onto her hand tightly, the idea of letting her go caused him pain.

“Don’t…”

“Hey. It will be alright.” She squeezed his fingers one last time before walking out of the room, maintaining eye contact with him until the door separated them.

Now, there was nothing he could do. Only wait.

\-----------

Four hours. He’s been waiting for four hours. It was like a nightmare, the one he couldn’t escape, no matter how hard he tried.

And he tried. He tried sitting, pacing back and forth, sleeping, reading. Nothing he could do would aid his restlessness.

He was close to giving up, when the voices were heard. Interns came for their break, gathering in the waiting room, curious, waiting for the decision.

Then, the door opened, the board members emerged from behind them. Right after them was Harper, and, at the very end, Claire.

Her face was unreadable, showing no emotions. Harper turned towards her, extending her palm. They shook hands, and the chief spoke up.

“I’m very happy that all is well, Dr. Herondale. Keep up with the good work.” Smiling at her one last time, she left. Her eyes caught Ethan’s, sending a silent message.

_She’s okay._

He approached Claire in hurry, staring at her. She turned towards him, waiting for his next move.

Behind them he could hear whispers, rumors forming.

In that moment, he didn’t care what other people would think. Looking back at them, he threw them a pitiful look, before turning towards her again.

His hands grabbed her head, hooking his index fingers behind her ears. His hands pulled and she was hauled onto him, right into his waiting arms.

Ethan’s lips pressed against hers tightly, his face twisting with relief. He’s been waiting for it for what seemed like eternity.

It took her only a second to realize what was going on, and as soon as she did, her body reacted. Her hands found their way to the back of his head, pressing him closer to her.

Despite the tight and passionate embrace, their kiss was tender and delicate. It was what they both needed, it conveyed all they were feeling and wanting, showed the world they were together, that they were all they needed.

He leaned back, breaking the kiss, looking at her.

“Ethan Ramsey!” she gasped, looking playfully at him.

“Sorry. I am just so happy and relieved. I couldn’t wait.” His smile made him look younger, more relaxed. It erased any signs of tiredness and exhaustion that the situation he was in lately caused.

“Not that I’m complaining, but I would never expect you to do that.”

“You’re worth it.” his forehead touched hers, the whole world disappearing, there was only them, them and no one else.

She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. He bent his head towards her, hiding his face in her hair.

“Thank you, Ethan.” She whispered softly, tears of happiness flowing freely down her cheeks.

“It’s the least I could do. I couldn’t let you go down for this.” his voice was a few octaves lower, barely above the whisper. He wanted them to have a private conversation, and with all the people around them, that was difficult.

“What time does your shift end?”

“In two hours. Why?”

“I’m taking you out for dinner. And I won’t take no for an answer, so don’t even try refusing.”

Although she couldn’t see him, she felt him smile. She could see it in her mind.

“Okay. I know better than to argue with you.”

He leaned back, a teasing smile on his lips.

“You _love_ arguing with me.”

“I can’t make it too easy for you, now, can I? I’ll see you soon.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek briefly, smiled brightly and went the other way.

\-----------

The remainder of her time at work that day was almost as long as a normal shift. The closer she got to seeing him again, the slower the time went by.

When she finally did finish, and she went to change into her regular clothes, she realized that, while her clothes might have been good for the ethics hearing, it might not be appropriate for the dinner with Ethan.

It was too late to do anything now, she just had to go with it. Letting her hair down and applying some more lipstick to her lips, she made her way to the main hall.

Ethan was already there, sitting in one of the chairs. His leg was moving rapidly, a clear sign of just how stressed and nervous he was.

“Ethan?” she approached him tentatively, her steps delicate on the ground.

His head shot up, and as soon as he spotted her approaching, he stood up abruptly.

“Claire!” he said, maybe a little too loudly, which he realized afterwards, and smiled shyly.

She noticed his hands were shaking slightly and that he had something in them. When he looked at her and saw her staring at his palms, he revealed a small rose.

He raised the flower slowly, offering it to her. She took it from her, guiding it towards her nose, taking a deep breath to feel the sweet scent.

“Thank you, it’s lovely.” She hugged him tightly, mindful of the delicate plant in her hand. He hugged her back, nuzzling his nose into her neck, tickling her unknowingly.

A joyful laugh escaped her lips as she leaned back from him.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yes. Take me away.”

He trailed his hand over her back, wrapping his arm around her waist, leading them out of the hospital.

\------------

When he was planning their evening, he struggled with choosing the place he would take her for that dinner.

He knew he didn’t want to choose something too sophisticated, because he knew she wouldn’t feel completely comfortable and relaxed.

He also didn’t want them to just go anywhere, because she was worth so much more than a bare minimum. But the thing was, nothing he could come up with was good enough for her.

Deciding that no restaurant would do, he went shopping for ingredients and went home. After cleaning, he began preparing their meal, putting all of his knowledge into it and passion and desire to make it right for her.

He led her to his car, opening the door for her before getting in himself.

As soon as he sat down and started the car, her hand found its way to his thigh, resting there softly. Her touch always had an amazing ability to calm him down, no matter what made him nervous in the first place.

And while the feeling of her hand on his leg made him feel better, it also accelerated his heartbeat, all of his nerve endings tingling with electricity and tension that was palpable.

The classical music filled the air, the soothing melody falling over their senses. His hand moved over hers, lacing their fingers together, before he raised them, kissing the underside of her palm tenderly, before placing it back down on his thigh. In the corner of her eye he could see her smile.

The car pulled up to the familiar path and she looked around, taking in their surroundings.

“Ethan… why are we at your place?” she was confused, but there was a hint of amusement and a small smile, tugging the corners of her mouth upwards despite her best efforts to not let her happiness show.

“I wanted it to be special, I wanted you to be comfortable, and I know you enough to know that if I took you somewhere fancy, you would be too worried about your manners. I want you to be comfortable around me, relaxed and I want you to feel safe. I wanted to do something for you, just like all those times you did those things for me.”

Opening the door for her again, he reached his hand out, lacing their fingers once more, helping her get out of the car. He pointed with his head towards the door.

“After you.” they shared a smile and walked towards his apartment, hand in hand.

\--------------

Upon opening the door, the delicious smell of homemade food engulfed them both. Jenner started running towards them, barking happily at his owner.

While she was playing with the dog, he went to the kitchen to finish their dinner.

“Wine?”

“Please.”

He took out two wine glasses, pouring the dark, red liquid into both. Placing them on the table, he allowed himself a moment to take in the woman in his apartment.

She was a new element there, one he would have never imagined to be needed by him. Yet here he was, each time he looked at her, he was falling, hard and fast, for her. There was no denying, no escaping this. And he finally realized that he didn’t want to escape.

She stood up and made her way over to him, standing by his side, looking over his shoulder to see what he was doing.

“So, what’s on the menu tonight, Chef?” teasing him was always something she enjoyed doing, and there was no way she was about to stop.

“A steak with roasted…” he started speaking, but his voice trailed off, because her hand trailed over his arm slowly, wrapping itself around it.

“What was that?” she spoke, her voice low and quiet.

“Um… a steak with roasted vegetables and rice. How does that sound?”

Regaining a bit of his composure, he managed to get the words out, not without trouble, though.

“Perfect.” She leaned upwards, whispering the word into his ear, her lips brushing over the lobe of his ear.

Getting the food on their plates and placing them on the table took him a solid few minutes, as she was talking in a soft, deep voice, effectively distracting him, time and time again.

At long last, they were seated by the table, side by side. He raised his glass of wine to make the toast.

“To the case that has been conquered. You have no idea how relieved I am that it’s over. And to _you._ For always being there for me, even if I didn’t deserve it.”

“To the case. And to _you, _Ethan. I don’t think we would be celebrating now if you hadn’t stepped in. it’s your victory, as much as it is mine. I owe it all to you.”

Their eyes met. They were sitting so close, that it would be almost too easy to just lean in and capture her lips with his.

“To _us_, then.” His words were a raspy whisper, but carried so many emotions and were so strong, so powerful.

“_To us_.”

They clinked their glasses together, the sound reverberating through the space around them.

Ethan was quite satisfied with himself for how the food turned out, but his ultimate price was the look on her face when she took the first bite.

“Oh my _god,_ that’s delicious, Ethan.” A long moan escaped her lips, her face melting into a picture of bliss and satisfaction.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it? I love it. And I’m not sure if you realize it, but you just made yourself my personal cook of the best steaks in the world. You won’t be able to escape me now.” she smiled widely at him. Laughing, he placed his arm on the back of her chair, his new position enabling him to speak directly into her ear.

“Good. Because I don’t want to escape.”

\--------

They finished their meal, talking slowly and quietly. He could listen to her voice for hours, the sweetest melody for his ears.

Somewhere between the second and third glass of wine, they ended up on the couch. He was sitting, his back against the back of the couch with his arm on it, while she was sitting next to him. Or, to be more exact, she was almost sitting _on_ him. Her legs were thrown over his, his other hand resting on her thigh, moving up and down, delicately, dragging his fingers tantalizingly slowly over her flesh.

A shiver ran down her spine every once in a while, their talk was getting more and more about centered around their dreams and wants.

“So I left. I just… stood up and left, taking all of my belongings with me. I never looked back. They were never on board with the idea of me becoming a doctor, but with time, my Mother started accepting it. My Father, however, still has a hard time coming around to it. He really hoped that I’d become a lawyer.”

“Do you regret that decision?” she asked curiously, leaning her head back, resting it against his outstretched arm.

“No. There are a few things that I regret in my life. that decision is not one of them. However, there is one thing that I regret more than anything else.”

His face has grown pensive, but there was something in his eyes. A glint of hope, mischief.

“And what would that be?” her voice dropped to a delicate whisper, her eyes glued to his, unable to look away.

“I regret pushing you away. In Miami. In Boston. And every other time…”

She leaned over to him, capturing his lips in a soft kiss. He responded immediately, their lips moving in sync against one another, slowly, carefully. There was no rush, they had all the time in the world.

His hand moved from her thigh, along her leg, until it rested on her hip, squeezing it lightly.

Her hand moved up his chest, touching each button on the way, brushing over the skin on his neck, before resting on his cheek, pulling him closer to her.

Their kisses became even slower, each move of their lips lazier than the last one.

The closer she pulled him to her, the more he leaned against her, so much so, that after a short moment, she was laying down and he was leaning over her, kissing her thoroughly.

She pulled on his lower lip, biting into it, drawing out a low growl from him, making him weaker. His hand slipped from the arm of the couch and he caught himself at the very last moment, barely escaping the collision with her body.

He cursed under his breath, which made her laugh. Pecking one last time, she wound her arms around him and pulled him fully on top of her, taking on his whole weight.

“Claire…” he tried protesting, but she was having none of it.

“Quiet, Ramsey. Don’t ruin the moment.” She smiled, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck.

Ethan finally could say that he was on his way towards complete happiness. He knew that, no matter what, she would be by his side, every step of the way.


End file.
